My thoughts on the Phillies season.

Results tagged ‘ Hunter Pence ’

The Phils’ bullpen allows one to get away in extra-innings, after the offense tied it up in the ninth, as the Phils lose to the Giants, 4-3.

The Giants took the lead in the bottom of the second as Hunter Pence hits a lead-off home run, his seventh home run of the season. The Phils tied it up at one-all in the top of the fourth as Kevin Frandsen hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the season. The Giants retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Marco Scutaro hits an RBI single, scoring Gregor Blanco, who had earlier singled, then stole second base, giving the Giants a 2-1 lead. The Giants increased their lead in the sixth as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, Barry Zito hits an RBI single, knocking in Brandon Belt, who had started the inning off with a walk, moved up to second base on Francisco Peguero’s ground out, 5-3, and then went to third on Brandon Crawford’s ground out, 3-unassisted, giving the Giants a 3-1 lead, while sending Guillermo Quiroz, who had just been intentionally walked, up to second base. The Phils cut the Giants’ lead to 3-2 in the top of the ninth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits an RBI single, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who had started the inning off with a double, then stopped at third base on Frandsen’s fly out, while sending Michael Young, who had just walked, over to third base, while Utley would move up to second base on the throw to third. The Phils then tied the score up at three-all as Delmon Young hits a sacrifice fly to right, knocking in M. Young, while sending Utley over to third base. The Giants would win the game in the bottom of the tenth as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, Andres Torres hits a walk-off single, knocking in pinch-hitter Buster Posey, who had started the inning off with a single, moved up to second base on Joaquin Arias’ sacrifice bunt, 2-3, then moved up to third base on Antonio Bastardo’s wild pitch, giving the Giants a 4-3 walk-off win.

Jonathan Pettipone received a no-decision as he threw five and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and four walks, while striking out a batter. Jeremy Horst pitched a third of an inning, walking a batter. Phillippe Aumont, Chad Durbin and Mike Adams combined for three scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Adams) and a walk (Horst) between them, while striking out three (Aumont (1), Durbin (2)). Antonio Bastardo (1-1, 1.69) took the lost as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on two hits, a walk, and a wild pitch, while striking out one. Barry Zito also received a no-decision as he pitched seven strong innings plus one batter, as he gave up a run on four hits, striking out three. Santiago Casilla collected his sixth hold of the season by pitching two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men whom he would face, striking out one. Jeremy Affeldt received his fifth hold of the year as he pitched a third of an inning, getting out the one man who he would face. Sergio Romo received his second blow save of the season as he pitched an inning, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk. Javier Lopez (1-0, 3.24) picked up the win by pitching a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had seven hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins (Doubles) and Ben Revere (Single, Double) both leading the team with two hits each. Kevin Frandsen (Home Run, RBI), Chase Utley (Single, RBI) and Carlos Ruiz (Single) had the other three Phils’ hits. Delmon Young knocked in the final Phil run with a sac fly. The Phils also had a walk (Michael Young) in the game.

The Phils (16-19, 3rd NL East) will start a four-games series with the D-backs (19-15, 3rd NL West) starting with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Chase Field and will start at 9:40 pm EDT (6:40 PDT). The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (1-4, 4.34), who is coming off a lost against the Marlins on May 4, as he went eight innings, giving up two runs on four hits, while he struck out six, in the Phils’ 2-0 lost. He will be trying to win his second game of the season. The D-backs will counter with Patrick Corbin (4-0, 1.80), who is coming off a win against the Padres on May 4, as he went seven innings, giving up a run on five hits and three walks, while striking out seven, in the D-backs’ 8-1 rout. He will be going for his fifth win of the season. The Phils will be trying to start off their second series out west with a win.

The Phils’ offense return after being missing for two games as they support Cliff Lee’s good start by beating the Giants, 6-2.

The Phils tried to get on the scoreboard in the top of the first as they loaded up the bases, via singles by Michael Young and Ryan Howard, with M. Young stopping at second base, and a walk to Delmon Young, with both M. Young and Howard moving up a base, and with two men out, before Dom Brown ended the threat by grounding out, 1-3. The Phils then took the lead in the top of the second as they loaded up the bases again, this time via singles by John Mayberry, Jr. and Erik Kratz, with Mayberry stopping at second base, a sacrifice bunt by Cliff Lee, 1-4, for the inning’s first out, moving both men up a base, and then a two-out walk to Chase Utley, and with two men out, M. Young hits a two-run double, knocking in Mayberry and Kratz, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead, and sending Utley over to third base. One batter later, with Howard batting, the Phils took a 3-o lead as Madison Bumgarner threw a wild pitch, allowing Utley to score, while M. Young would move up to third base. The Giants would get a run back in their half of the second as, with one man out, Hunter Pence hits a solo home run, his sixth home run of the season. The Phils increased their lead in the top of the fifth as, now with a runner on third, and with one man out, D. Young hits a sacrifice fly, scoring M. Young, who had started the inning off with a double, then moved up to third base on Howard’s ground out, 4-3, giving the Phils a 4-1 lead. The Phils then took a 5-1 lead as, with two men out, Brown hits a solo blast to right field, his sixth home run of the season. The Giants got a run back in the bottom of the eighth as, with a man on second, and with nobody out, Pence, who had started the inning off with a double, would score on Jimmy Rollins’ throwing error of Francisco Peguero’s infield single, as he threw the ball past Howard, making it a 5-2 Phils’ lead. The Phils would get that run back in the top of the ninth as, with runners on second and third, and with nobody out, Rollins redeemed himself by hitting a sacrifice fly, knocking in Kratz, who had started the inning off with a walk, then stopped at third base on pinch-hitter Freddy Galvis’ double, giving the Phils a 6-2 lead. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Cliff Lee (3-2, 3.26) got the win as he threw eight strong innings, giving up two runs on five hits, while striking out six. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Madison Bumgarner (3-1, 2.31) took the lost as he went six innings, giving up five runs on eight hits, two walks and two wild pitches, while striking out seven. Chad Gaudin pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Jean Machi pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on a hit and a walk. Javier Lopez pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a walk, while striking out one.

The Phils collected ten hits in the game, with Michael Young (Single, 2 Doubles, 2 RBIs) leading the team with three hits, raising his average to .333. Chase Utley (Single), Ryan Howard (Single), Dom Brown (Home Run, RBI), John Mayberry, Jr. (Single), Eric Kratz (Single), Cliff Lee (Single) and pinch-hitter Freddy Galvis (Double), had the other seven Phils’ hits. The other two Phils’ RBIs (Jimmy Rollins, Delmon Young) came in on sacrifice flies, while the final Phil run would come in on a wild pitch. The Phils also had four walks (Utley, M. Young, D. Young, Kratz) in the game.

The Phils (15-18, 3rd NL East) will continue their three-games series with the Giants (19-13, 1st NL West) with a night game tonight. The game will start at 10:15 pm and will be played at AT&T Park. The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (3-1, 2.43), who is coming off a win against the Marlins on May 2, as he went seven strong innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks, while he struck out five, in the Phils’ 7-2 win. He will be going for his fourth straight win, and his sixth straight quality start. The Giants will counter with Tim Lincecum (2-1, 4.41), who is coming off a no-decision against the D-backs on May 1, where he went five innings, giving up five runs on ten hits, while striking out six, in the Giants’ 9-6 come from behind win. He will be trying for his third win of the season. The Phils will be trying to see if they can get the better of Lincecum tonight.

The Phils have earlier this afternoon announced that they have traded Shane Victorino to the Dodgers in exchange for relief pitch Josh Lindblom and one prospect, and Hunter Pence to the Giants for outfielder Nate Schierholtz and two prospects, before announcing that they had called up Dom Brown from Lehigh Valley.

Shane Victorino, who had been with the Phils since 2005, which would include him being a member of the 2008 World Championship team, as well as spending part of 2003 playing for the Padres, had played in 1023 games, compiling a career batting average of .277 (1009 for 3644), while collecting 183 doubles, 63 triples and 88 home runs, along with 394 RBIs, 316 walks and 186 stolen bases, while crossing the plate a total of 590 times. He also has a career slugging percentage of .434 and an OBP of .342. This season, Victorino, before the trade, had played in 101 games, compiling a .261 batting average (101 for 387) including 17 doubles, 5 triples and nine home runs, the latest of which occurred this past Sunday against the Braves, as well as knocking in 40 RBIs, while walking 36 times and stealing 24 bases, while being caught only 4 times. He also crossed the plate 46 times. For Victorino, the Phils will be getting relief pitcher Josh Lindblom, who had pitched for the Dodgers during the last two seasons, including this year, appearing in a total of 75 games, compiling a record of 3-2 with a 2.91 ERA and a WHIP of 1.18, as he pitched in 77.1 innings, giving up 25 runs on 63 hits and 28 walks, while striking out a total of 71 batters. This year, his record is 2-2 with a 3.02 ERA, as he had appeared in 48 games, throwing 47.2 innings, giving up 16 runs on 42 hits and 18 walks, while striking out 43. The Phils will also receive minor league pitching prospect Ethan Martin, who was pitching for AA Chattanooga in the Southern League before the trade.

After trading Victorino, the Phils then sent Hunter Pence, who they had gotten last year in a trade with the Astros for four prospects, to the Giants for outfielder Nate Schierholtz and two minor leaguers. Pence, who, until last year around this time, had played with the Astros, starting in 2007. Careerwise, Pence had batted .290 (943 for 3254), as he had appeared in 835 games, compiling a total of 172 doubles, 28 triples and 131 home runs, knocking in 471 runs, while scoring 447 times, as he had also complied 258 walks. For this season, he had appeared in 101 games, batting .271 (108 for 398), as he had 15 doubles, 2 triples and 17 home runs (at the time the Phils’ leader in that category), knocking in 59 RBIs, while crossing the plate 59 times. He also had 37 walks. In return for Pence, the Phils will get Nate Shierholtz, who had been playing for the Giants since 2007, as he had appeared in 503 games, with a .270 batting average (327 for 1209), collecting 72 doubles, 15 triples and 23 home runs, while knocking in 119 RBIs, while crossing the plate 145 times. He also has 80 walks. This season, Schierholtz has hit .257 (45 for 175), including 5 doubles, triples and home runs, while knocking in just 17 RBIs, while scoring only 15 times. He has walked just 18 times. The Phils also got from the Giants catching prospect Tommy Joseph, the Giants’ number 5 pick in the 2009 draft and pitching prospect right-hander Seth Rosin.

The Phils also announced that they will be calling up Dom Brown from the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, to take one of spots just opened up by the two trades.

I wished you luck Shane and Hunter, welcome to the club Josh and Nate, and welcome back Dom (you better have a good idea what is expected of you). Ruben, I really hope that you know what you’re doing trading tw0 of our three starting outfielders.

After losing the first two games of their series with Atlanta, 6-1 and 2-1, the Phils could not avoid being swept by the Braves, as they lose the final game of the series by the score of 6-2.

The Braves took the lead in the first as, with two men out, Jayson Heyward hits a solo home run, his eighteenth home run of the season, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead. The Braves added to their lead three batters later as, with two men on, and with still two men out, Dan Uggla hits an RBI double, knocking in Chipper Jones, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Freddie Freeman’s walk, making it a 2-0 Braves’ lead, while sending Freeman, who had just walked, on to third base. The Braves then took a 3-0 lead in the third as Jones hits a lead-off home run, his tenth home run of the year. The Phils would get a run back in the fourth as Shane Victorino hits a lead-off home run, his ninth home run of the year, cutting the Braves’ lead down to 3-1. The Phils then cut the Braves’ lead down to 3-2 in the sixth as, with a man on second, and with two men out, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI single, knocking in Victorino, who had started the inning off with a single, then stole second base. The Braves increased their lead in the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, pinch hitter Tyler Pastomicky, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on Michael Bourn’s sacrifice bunt, 2-1, then stopped at third base on Martin Prado’s single, would score on pitcher Jake Diekman’s fielding error of Heyward’s grounder back to the mound, giving the Braves a 4-2 lead, while sending Prado, who had just singled, up to second base. Two batters later, after Jones had grounded out, 4-3, for the inning’s second out, moving up a base both Prado and Heyward, the Braves took a 6-2 lead as Freeman hits a two-run singled, knocking in both Prado and Heyward. That would end up being the final score as Cristhian Martinez pitched a scoreless ninth.

Roy Halladay (4-6, 4.33) took the lost as he pitched six innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out seven. Jake Diekman pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up three unearned runs on three hits. Kyle Kendrick pitched a third of an inning, giving up two walks. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while striking out two. Tim Hudson (10-4, 3.68) gets the win as he went five and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on seven hits, while striking out five. Jonny Venters pitched to one batter, giving up a hit. Chad Durbin collected his tenth hold of the season as he pitched one and one-third scoreless innings, striking out a batter. Eric O’Flaherty pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Cristhian Martinez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit.

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Shane Victorino (2 Singles, Home Run, RBI) leading the team with three hits, followed by Kevin Frandsen (Singles) and pinch hitter Hunter Pence (Singles), with two hits each. Carlos Ruiz (RBI) and Juan Pierre had the other two Phils’ hits, both singles. The Phils also had a stolen base in the game (Victorino (24)).

For the fourth day in a row, the Phils would score the winning run in their last at-bat, as they come from behind for the third straight day, as they once again defeat the Bewers, this time in extra-innings, 7-6.

The Brewers took the lead in the second as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Martin Maldonardo hits an RBI single, scoring Corey Hart, who had started the inning off with a single, then stopped at second base on Rickie Weeks’ single, giving the Brew Crew a 1-0 lead, while sending Weeks, who had just singled, over to thrid base. The Phils tied the game up at one-all in their half of the second as, with a runner on second base, and with two men out, Erik Kratz hits an RBI single, knocking in Juan Pierre, who had just doubled. The Phils took the lead in the third as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Chase Utley hits an RBI double, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had started the inning off with a single, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Phils increased their lead two batters later as, with a man on third, as Utley moved up to third base on Ryan Howard’s soft ground out, 1-3, and with one man out, Hunter Pence hits an RBI single, knocking in Utley, giving the Phils a 3-1 lead. The Phils then took a 5-1 lead in the fourth as, with runners on the corners, via a Kratz lead-off double, who is then moved up to third on a Vance Worley sacrifice bunt, 1-3, and a walk to Victorino, and with two men out, Utley hits a two-run double, knocking in both Kratz and Victorino. The Brewers got a run back in the sixth as Weeks hits a lead-off home run, his tenth home run of the year, making it a 5-2 Phils’ lead. The Brew Crew made it a 5-3 Phils’ lead four batters later as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Carlos Gomez hits an RBI double, knocking in Cody Ransom, who had earlier doubled, then stopped at third base on pinch hitter Travis Ishikawa’s single, while sending Ishikawa, who had earlier singled, on to third base. The Brewers then tied the game up at five-all in the eighth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ryan Braun hits a two-run home run, his twenty-eighth home run of the season, knocking in Gomez, who had earlier singled. The Brewers took the lead in the tenth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Aramis Ramirez hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Gomez, who had earlier reached base on Ty Wigginton’s fielding error of his pop up, as he did not catch the ball, stopping at second base, and then moved up to third base on pinch hitter Cesar Izturis’ sacrifice bunt, 1-4, giving the Brewers a 6-5 lead. The Phils then tied the game back up at six-all in their half of the tenth as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, pinch hitter Carlos Ruiz hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in John Mayberry, Jr., who had earlier walked, then stopped at third base on Kratz’s double. The Phils then won the game as Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI single, his second walk-off hit in the last four days, scoring pinch runner Mike Fontenot, who was pinch running for Kratz, as he beat the late throw to the plate, giving the Phils a 7-6 walk-off win.

Vance Worley received a no-decision as he went five and a third innings, giving up three runs on ten hits and a walk, while striking out six. Kyle Kendrick collected his second hold of the season as he pitched an inning and two-thirds, giving up a hit and a walk. Antonio Bastardo was tagged with his third blown save of the season as he pitched an inning, giving up two runs on two hits, while striking out a batter. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits, while striking out a batter. Michael Schwimer (2-1, 3.86) got the win, his second in two days, as he pitched an inning, giving up an unearned run on a walk. Marco Estrado also received a no-decision as he pitched four innings, giving up five runs on eight hits and three walks, striking out four. Tyler Thornburg, Livan Hernandez and John Axford combined for five scoreless innings, giving up four hits (Thornburg (2), Hernandez (2)) between them, while striking out three (Axford). Francisco Rodriguez was tagged with his sixth blown save of the season before taking the loss (2-6, 4.80) as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk.

The Phils had fourteen hits in the game, with Chase Utley (Single, 2 Doubles, 3 RBIs) and Eric Kratz (Single, 2 Doubles, RBI) leading the team with two hits apiece, followed by Juan Pierre (Doubles) with two hits. Jimmy Rollins (Single, RBI), Shane Victorino (Single), Ryan Howard, (Single), Hunter Pence (Single, RBI), Ty Wigginton (Single) and Vance Worley (Single) had the other six Phils’ hits. Pinch hitter Carlos Ruiz knocked in the other Phil run with a sacrifice fly. The Phils also had four walks and a stolen base (Utley (3)) in the game.

The Phils (45-54, 5th) will have the day off today, before starting a three game series with the Braves (54-44, 2nd) in Atlanta.

The Phils seems to have reverted to the ’07-11 version, as they unloaded for six runs in the eighth inning to come back from behind for the second night in a row as they defeat the Brewers, 7-6.

The Brewers tried to take the lead in the first as, with two men on , and with one man out, Norichika Aoki, who had started the game off with a single, then moved up to second base on Ryan Braun’s single, is thrown out at the plate trying to score on Aramis Ramirez’s single to right, as he is gun down by a strong throw by right fielder Hunter Pence, 9-2, as Carlos Ruiz applies the tag, while Braun, who had earlier singled, stopped at second base. The Brewers then took a 1-0 lead as Corey Hart hits an RBI single, knocking in Braun, while sending Ramirez on to third base. The Phils tied the game up at one-all in their half of the first as, with a man on third, and with two men out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier doubled, then moved up to third base as Chase Utley strikes out swinging, before being thrown out at first as the ball gets away from catcher Martin Maldonado, 2-3. The Brewers retook the lead in the sixth as Braun hits a lead-off home run, his twenty-seventh home run of the season, giving the Brew Crew a 2-1 lead. The Brewers added to their lead in the seventh as, with two men out, Zack Greinke helped his own cause by hitting a solo home run, his first home run of the year, giving the Brewers a 3-1 lead. The Brewers then made a 4-1 lead in the eighth as Carlos Gomez hits a solo home run, his seventh home run of the season. Two batters later, the Brew Crew made it a 6-1 lead as, with a man on first, and with still nobody out, Ramirez hits a two-run home run, his eleventh home run of the year, knocking in Braun, who had just singled. The Phils then staged their second straight late inning comeback in their half of the eighth inning as, with a runner on second, and with one man out, pinch hitter Erik Kratz hits a two-run home run, his third home run of the season, knocking in Ty Wigginton, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on John Mayberry, Jr. soft ground ball to the second baseman, 4-3, cutting the Brewers’ lead down to 6-3. After Jimmy Rollins flies out to left for the inning’s second out, the Phils tied up the ballgame at six-all as, with the bases loaded via walks to Victorino, Utley, who then performed a double steal of third and second respectively, and Howard, who was then pinch run for by Mike Fontenot, and with still two men out, Ruiz hits a bases clearing double, knocking in Victorino, Utley and Fontenot. The Phils then took the lead as Pence hits an RBI single, knocking in Ruiz, who hopped across the plate because of problems with one of his legs, giving the Phils a 7-6 lead, as the Phils batted around. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon came in to record his twenty-second save of the year by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out Gomez on a called third strike to end the game.

Cliff Lee received a no-decision as he pitched seven innings, plus three batters, giving up six runs on twelve hits, including four home runs, and a walk, striking out six. Michael Schwimer (1-1, 4.01) got the win as he pitched an inning, getting out all three batters who he would face, including a strikeout. Jonathan Papelbon recorded his twenty-second save of the season as he threw a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two batters. Zack Greinke also received a no-decision as he threw seven strong innings, giving up just one run on three hits, while striking out five. Jose Veras pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Manny Parra also pitched a third of an inning, giving up four runs on a hit and three walks. Kameron Loe was tagged with his fifth blown save of the season, before taking the lost (4-4, 4.04) as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk.

The Phils had seven hits in the game, with four of them coming in the eighth, a single by Jimmy Rollins, a double by Shane Victorino, a single by Ryan Howard (RBI), a double by Carlos Ruiz (3 RBIs), a single by Hunter Pence (RBI), a single by Ty Wigginton and a pinch hit home run by Erik Kratz (2 RBIs). The Phils also has four walks and two steals (Victorino (22) & Chase Utley (2)) all coming during the eighth inning rally.

The Phils (44-54, 5th East) conclude their series with the Brewers (44-52, 4th Central) with an afternoon game, already in progress, as the Phils go for the series sweep.

The Phils score four times in their last at-bat to come back from behind to beat the Brew Crew, 7-6.

The Brewers took the lead in the first as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Aramis Ramirez hits an RBI double, knocking in Carlos Gomez, who was earlier hit by a pitch, then stole second base, giving the Brewers a 1-0 lead. The Brewers then made it a 2-0 lead as Corey Hart hits an RBI single, scoring Ramirez. The Phils got a run back in their half of the first as, with two men out, Chase Utley hits a solo home run, his fourth home run of the season, and his second home run in two days, making it a 2-1 Brewers’ lead. The Phils then tied it up at two-all as Ryan Howard’s long fly to left center field, originally called a double, is called a home run by the umpires after seeing that it had cleared the home run line along the fence, giving Howard his fourth home run of the season, and his third home run in the last four games. The Brewers regain the lead in the third as, with a man on second, and with nobody out, Ryan Braun hits an RBI single on a ball that bounces off of Howard’s glove, knocking in Gomez, who had started the inning off with a single, then stole second base, for his second steal of the night, giving the Brew Crew a 3-2 lead. The Brewers then made it a 6-2 lead in the fourth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Gomez hits a three-run home run, on a ball that hits the left field foul pole, his sixth home run of the season, knocking in Randy Wolf, who had earlier singled, then stopped at second base on Norichika Aoki’s single, and Aoki, who had just singled. The Phils would get a run back in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via walks to Jimmy Rollins and Juan Pierre, who then perform a double steal, moving up to third and second base respectively, and a walk to Utley and with one man out, Rollins would score on catcher George Kottaras’ passed ball, cutting the Brewers’ lead down to 6-3, while allowing Pierre to move up to third base, and Utley to go to second base. The Phils then began a rally in the ninth as, after pinch hitter Laynce Nix struck out for the inning’s first out, Rollins would get on base with a walk. Pierre followed with a single to right, sending Rollins all the way to third, putting runners on the corners. While Utley was batting, Pierre stole second base, his second steal of the game. Utley then walked, loading up the bases. Howard then came to the plate, and after falling behind in the count, 0-2, hits a single up the middle, knocking in Rollins and Pierre, cutting the Brewers’ lead down to 6-5, while sending Utley to third base. The Phils then tied the game up at six-all as Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI single, knocking in Utley, while moving Howard up to second base. Hunter Pence then worked a walk, reloading the bases, as Howard and Ruiz both moved up a base. Erik Kratz is then sent in to pinch run for Howard. Ty Wigginton then comes to the plate and hits a fly ball to left, that would score Kratz from third, beating the off-line throw to the plate, for the walk-off 7-6 win.

Roy Halladay received a no-decision as he threw six innings, giving up six runs on eight hits, a hit batter and a walk, while striking out three. Michael Schwimer and Jake Diekman would combine for two scoreless innings, walking two batters (one each) between them, while striking out four (two batters each). Joe Savery (1-2, 5.63) gets the win, his first career win, as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Randy Wolf also got a no-decision as he also went six innings, as he gave up two runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out five. Manny Parra pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up an unearned run on three walks and a passed ball. John Axford received his first hold of the season as he threw one and one-third scoreless innings, striking out a batter. Francisco Rodriguez received his fifth blown save of the year before taking the lost (2-5, 4.47), as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up four runs on three hits and three walks, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had eight hits in the game, with Ryan Howard leading the team with three hits (Single, Double, Home Runs, 3 RBIs), followed by John Mayberry, Jr. who had two hits (Single, Double). Chase Utley (Home Run, RBI), Juan Pierre (Single) and Carlos Ruiz (Single, RBI) had the other three Phils’ hit. Ty Wigginton had the final Phil RBI, via a sacrifice fly, while the final run came in on a passed ball. The Phils also had nine walks and three stolen bases (Rollins (16) & Pierre (22 & 23)) in the game.

The Phils (43-54, 5th East) will continue their series with the Brew Crew (44-51, 4th Central) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park, and will start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cliff Lee (1-6, 3.72), who is coming off a no-decision against the Dodgers on July 18, as he went eight strong innings, giving up just a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 5-3 extra-innings lost. He will once more be trying to record his second win of the season. The Brewers will counter with Zack Greinke (9-3, 3.57), who is coming off a no-decision against the Pirates on July 13, as he pitched five innings, giving up five runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out six, in the Brewers’ 10-7 win. He will be going for his tenth win of the season. The Phils will be going for their third straight win at home.

The Phils win in extra-innings to avoid being swept as they defeat the Giants in twelve innings, 4-3.

The Giants took the lead in the first as Nate Schierholtz started the game off with a lead-off home run, his fourth home run of the season, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead. The Phils tied the game up at one-all in their half of the first as, with a man on first, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits an RBI triple, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier walked. The Giants retook the lead in the fourth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Pablo Sandoval hits an RBI double, knocking in Buster Posey, who had just singled, giving the Giants a 2-1 lead. The Phils retied the game at two-all in their half of the fourth as, with two men out, John Mayberry, Jr. hits a solo home run, his seventh home run of the season. The Phils took the lead in the seventh as, Mayberry hits a lead-off home run, his eighth home run of the season, and his second home run of the afternoon, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. The Giants tied the game up at three-all in the eighth as, with two men out, Schierholtz hits a solo home run, his fifith home run of the sesson, and his second home run of the day. The Phils would win the game in the bottom of the twelfth as, with runners on the corners and with one man out, Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI single, knocking in Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier walked, then stopped at third base on Laynce Nix’s single, giving the Phils a 4-3 walk-off win.

Joe Blanton received a no-decision as he went eight innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out six. Antonio Bastardo pitched 1-2-3 inning, striking out the side. Jeremy Horst pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Kyle Kendrick (4-8, 4.57) got the win as he pitched two and a third innings, giving up a hit and two walks, while striking out two. Barry Zito also received a no-decision as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out seven. Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo, Jeremy Affeldt and Clay Hensley combined for four shutout innings, giving up three hits (Lopez (1), Romo (1), Affeldt (1)) between them, while striking out four (Lopez (1), Romo (1), Affeldt (2)). Brad Penny (0-1, 3.85) took the lost as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins (Singles, RBI) and John Mayberry, Jr, (Home Runs, 2 RBIs), leading the team with two hits apiece. Shane Victorino (Single), Chase Utley (Triple, RBI), Hunter Pence (Single), Placido Polanco (Single), Joe Blanton (Single) and Laynce Nix (Single) had the other six Phils’ hits. The Phils also had two walks and a stolen base (Chase Utley (1)) in the game.

The Phils (42-54, 5th East) begin a three game series with the Brewers (44-50, 4th Central) with a game already in progress.

The Phils are not able to sweep the Dodgers as they lose a tough one in extra-innings, losing to the Dodgers, 5-3.

The Dodgers took the lead in the second as Juan Rivera hits a lead-off home run, his fourth home run of the year, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. The Phils tied the game up at one-all in the fourth as, with a man on second, and with one man out, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI single, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had started the inning off with a single, then stole second base. The game would stay a pitchers’ duel until the tenth when the Phils took the lead as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Jimmy Rollins, who is then moved up to second base on Victorino’s sacrifice bunt, 1-4, Chase Utley being intentionally walked and a walk to Ruiz, moving up a base both Rollins and Utley, and with one man out, Hunter Pence hits a two-run single, scoring Rollins and Utley, giving the Phils a 3-1 lead, while sending Ruiz up to second base. The Dodgers would cut the Phils’ lead down to 3-2 in their half of the tenth as, with a runner on second base, and with one man out, pinch hitter Bobby Abreu hits an RBI single to left that was out of the reach of shortstop Rollins, scoring Luis Cruz, who had started the inning off with a double. Three batters later, after Abreu had stolen second base, and then stopped at third base on Tony Gwynn, Jr’s infield single, and with two men out, the Dodgers tied the game up at three-all as Matt Kemp hits an RBI infield single, as he just beat Rollins’ throw to first base, knocking in Abreu, while Gwynn would move up to second base on the play. The Dodgers then won the game in the twelfth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Kemp hits a two-run home run, his thirteeth home run of the season, knocking in Mark Ellis, who had just walked, giving the Dodgers a walk-off 5-3 win.

Cliff Lee received a no-decision as he pitched eight strong innings, giving up just one run on two hits and a walk, while striking out four. Antonio Bastardo, Kyle Kendrick, Jeremy Horst (pitching to one batter) and Michael Schwimer would combine for a scoreless inning, giving up two hits (Bastardo (1), Horst (1)) and a walk (Schwimer) between them, while striking out three batters (Bastardo (1), Kendrick (1), Schwimer (1)). Jonathan Papelbon committed his third blown save of the season as he pitched an inning, giving up two runs on four hits, while striking out two. Jake Diekman (1-1, 5.03) took the lost as he pitched an inning and a third, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out a batter. Clayton Kershaw also received a no-decision as he pitched eight strong innings, giving up a run on five scattered hits, while striking out seven. Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless inning, as he gave up a hit and two walks, while striking out a batter. Javy Guerra pitched a third of an inning, giving up two runs on a hit and three walks. Scott Elbert pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men that he would face. Josh Lindblom pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while he struck out two. Jamey Wright (4-2, 3.58) got the win as he threw a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.

The Phils had nine hits in the ballgame, with Shane Victorino leading the team with three hits, two singles and a double, followed by Carlos Ruiz (Singles, RBI) with two hits. Chase Utley, Hunter Pence (2 RBIs), John Mayberry, Jr. and pinch hitter Ryan Howard had the other four Phils’ hits, all singles. The Phils also had six walks, and two stolen bases (Victorino (20 & 21)) in the game.

The Phils enter the All-Star as they are swept at home by the Braves, losing the last two games of the series by the scores of 6-3 and 4-3.

On Saturday, the Braves took the lead in the second as, with two men out, Brian McCann hits a solo home run, his twelfth home run of the season, and his second home run of the series, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead. The Phils tried to tie the game up at one-all in their half of the second as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Carlos Ruiz, who had started the inning off with a double, then stopped at third base on Hunter Pence’s single, is thrown out at home plate on a fielder’s choice ground ball hit to third baseman Chipper Jones by Placido Polanco, 5-2, as McCann applied the tag, while Pence, who had earlier singled, moved up to second base, while Polanco is safe at first. The Phils then tied the game up at one-all one batter later as Juan Pierre hits an RBI double, scoring Pence, while sending Polanco to third base. Two batters later, after John Mayberry, Jr. is intentionally walked to load the bases, the Phils take the lead as Joe Blanton helps his own cause by hitting an RBI single, knocking in Polanco, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while moving up a base both Pierre and Mayberry. The Phils increased their lead as Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI force out, 4-6, wiping out Blanton at second base for the inning’s second out, while Pierre scores, giving the Phils a 3-1 lead, as Mayberry moved up to second base, while Rollins reaches first base. The Braves got a run back in the third as, with one man on, and with two men out, Martin Prado hits an RBI double, scoring Michael Bourn, who had just singled, making it a 3-2 Phils’ lead. The Braves tied the game up at three-all in the fourth as, with two men on, and with nobody out, McCann hits an RBI single, knocking in Jones, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on Freddie Freeman’s single, while sending Freeman, who had just singled, up to second base, before going on to third base on Pence’s fielding error. Two batters later the Braves took the lead as, with runners still on the corners, and now with one man out, Andrelton Simmons hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Freeman, giving the Braves a 4-3 lead. The Braves increased their lead in the seventh as, with two men on, and with one man out, Prado hits an RBI single, scoring Simmons, who had started the inning off with a walk, then moved up to second base on Tommy Hanson’s sacrifice bunt, 3-unassisted, for the inning’s first out, giving the Braves a 5-3 lead, while sending Bourn, who had just walked, up to second base. One batter latter, after Bourn and Prado were involved in a double steal, Bourn would score as Jason Heyward strikes out, swinging, going to the plate as Ruiz was throwing to first to complete the strikeout, giving the Braves a 6-3 lead. That would be the final score as Craig Kimbrel collected his twenty-fourth save of the year with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Joe Blanton (7-8, 4.98) took the lost as he pitched six and a third innings, giving up six runs, only five of which were earned, on nine hits and a walk, while striking out six. Jake Diekman pitched an inning and a third, walking a batter, while striking out one. Jeremy Horst pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out two. Tommy Hanson (10-5, 3.71) got the win as he pitched seven innings, plus one batter, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out six. Eric O’Flaherty received his fifteenth hold of the year as he threw a 1-2-3 inning. Craig Kimbrel converted his twenty-fourth save of the season throwing a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two batters.

The Phils had eight hits in the game, with Hunter Pence leading the team with two hits, both singles. Carlos Ruiz (Double), Juan Pierre (Double, RBI), John Mayberry, Jr. (Single) and Joe Blanton (Single, RBI) had the other six Phils’ hits. Jimmy Rollins had the other Phil RBI on a force out. The Phils also had a walk in the ballgame.

In Sunday’s game, the Phils took a quick 2-0 lead in the second as, with one man on, and with one man out, Jason Pridie hits a two-run home run, his first home run of the season, knocking in Carlos Ruiz, who had started the inning off with a single. The Braves tied the game up at two-all in the fourth as, with a man on second, and with one man out, Dan Uggla hits a two-run home run of his own, his twelfth home run of the year, knocking in Freddie Freeman, who had just doubled. The Phils retook the lead in their half of the fourth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Pridie hits an RBI double, knocking in Hunter Pence, who had just walked, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. The Braves would retied the game at three-all in the fifth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Brian McCann hits an RBI single, scoring Martin Prado, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third base on Jason Heyward’s single, while sending Heyward, who had just singled, up to second base. The Braves took the lead in the seventh as, with two men out, McCann hits a solo home run, his thirteenth home run of the year, and his third home run of the series, giving the Braves a 4-3 lead. That would end up being the final score as Craig Kimbrel recorded his twenty-fifth save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Vance Worley got a no-decision as he pitched six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and four walks, while striking out five. Raul Valdes (2-2, 3.80) took the lost as he went two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out a batter. Michael Schwimer pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only batter that he would face. Jeremy Horst and Jonathan Papelbon would combine for two scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Papelbon), while striking out two batters (Papelbon) between them. Jair Jurrjens (3-2, 4.97) got the win as he went seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out four. Kris Medlin collected his fifth hold of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Craig Kimbrel collected his twenty-fifth save of the year as he threw a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two.

The Phils had only six hits in the game, with Carlos Ruiz (Singles) and Jason Pridie (Double, Home Run, 3 RBIs) both leading the ballclub with two hits each. Chase Utley (Single) and Mike Fontenot (Single), had the other two Phils’ hits. The Phils also had a walk in the game.

The Phils enter the All-Star break with a 37-50 record, in fifth place in the NL East, fourteen games behind the Nats. The team will be off until Friday night.

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